1111499 Distributor Question??

[Dillon14]

OK, just got home and saw that my 1111499 distributor did not sell. I had one question/comment during the auction. The person said my distributor was too clean and it did not have that "old look" so he felt it must be a re-stamp. Please weigh in and let me know your opinion on rather or not this is a real 1111499 or a re-stamp. I took it in trade with the understanding it was not a re-stamp but the real deal.
Thanks,
Al in Maine
 

[BULLITT65]

IMO it looks like a re-stamp. there are few things that didn't look right to me.

[janobyte]

just got mine back from Jerry a few months ago for re-furbish ,not a but THE one for my Z ,( born with)---yours looks like a restamp ,numbers too defined versus the casting lines---just my opinion, lets see what the group says.

[jims69]

I don't know; the numbers do look very "crisp";  stamped deeper, and more defined than our distributor.  It is very clean; but they do clean up nicely.  It was surprising how easily our's cleaned up with a little time and dedication.   I'm not an expert on distributors; so janobyte's suggestion is a good one.   What will everyone else think.    Jim

[BULLITT65]

Its not a matter of definition or how crisp they look to me. If you look closely it becomes more obvious that it has been re-done. Can you trade it back to the guy for something else?

[cook_dw]

EDIT  

Im on the fence...

[Dillon14]

I am sure he will not take it back now. Is it simply worthless now?

[z28z11]

This one's hard to tell. I agree the finish is extremely bright, and looks very fresh - it could be a result of polishing after cleaning. Stamping is very deep, but the font is dead on if it's a restamp. The "4" and "9's" are correct to me as compared to my known original 499 and 497 distributors. Lathe markings are different, but I have seen these all over the map as far as spacing, depth and pattern - something you would expect out of production tooling that is frequently worn out and replaced/indexed to fresh cutting edges. Everything else appears to be what it should be, from the 355 dashpot to the point plate. It could be an overzealous/incorrect restoration (there are several that compete with Jerry, and complain about his refinishing methods as not being correct, too). Take a pair of calipers and measure the O.D. of the body at the stamping, and also measure the O.D. at the cap mounting step - you can compare that to other distributors. If it's considerably less than other examples, then you have a case for a cutdown/restamp. All I am stating is keep an open mind until you can prove it - don't be too quick to condemn it. 

[z28z11]

One more point - look at the collar where the clamp fits - same bright finish, very fresh look. If someone turned the body down to restamp it, they must have turned this area as well, which is highly unlikely IMO. Pin in the gear does not appear to have been disturbed or driven out as well - the pins and gears are pretty soft, usually they mark up when you drive the pin out to disassemble the distributor. I'll post a pic of my 499 (cleaned, but unrestored) if anyone would like to compare appearance/fonts.

Regards,
Steve

[cook_dw]

I think I am going to have to retract my previous statement.  Steve makes several very good points.  What was throwing me off was the stamp itself..  The polishing of the area didnt concern me.  Distributors are one of those parts that are extremely hard to decide on..

I edited my previous post to coincide..

[janobyte]

I think that is the problem ,the stamping does look too fresh as compared to the marring on the rest of the body, although it is highly polished. You can sort of tell what it looked like before tumbler time. Not to say it is not the real deal ,just that fine line between done right and over restored.  top $ = top scrutiny ( I'm bias, only one guy I trust sending my parts to, and I called him almost daily)

[Dillon14]

I do appreciate all of the scrutiny. I was just doing a fellow enthusiast a favor when I traded the distributor for a 1969 Chevelle Blue Dot AM/FM Stereo Radio withy MPX. The gentleman said he had been looking for a long time for a blue dot radio for his 69 Chevelle convertible. He emailed me many times and finally I agreed to do the swap. I didn't need the distributor or the radio but thought I could simply sell the distributor and get the $530 back that I had in the radio. So I did it under the assumption the that the distributor was not a re-stamp. I guess I didn't know how hard it really is to confirm that the 1111499 is the real deal. It makes me wonder how the other eBay sellers use the terms like "Guaranteed not to be a re-stamp" or "Original 1111499 distributor"??
Thanks again,
Al in Maine

[jims69]

You are right,  it does make a person wonder how a distributor could be guaranteed original.   Jim

[BULLITT65]

it is hard to duplicate patina. On the other hand a re-stamp these days looks a lot like a refurbished original

[z28z11]

I do have a potential make-or-break answer for this - will post tomorrow. I might have to change my earlier estimate -

Regards,
Steve